Demand Response in Buildings: A Comprehensive Overview of Current Trends, Approaches, and Strategies
Ružica Jurjević, Tea Žakula
Abstract
Power grids in the 21st century face unprecedented challenges, including the urgent need to combat pollution, mitigate climate change, manage dwindling fossil fuel reserves, integrate renewable energy sources, and meet greater energy demand due to higher living standards. These challenges create heightened uncertainty, driven by the intermittent nature of renewables and surges in energy consumption, necessitating adaptable demand response (DR) strategies. This study addresses this urgent situation based on a statistical analysis of recent scientific research papers. It evaluates the current trends and DR practices in buildings, recognizing their pivotal role in achieving energy supply–demand equilibrium. The study analysis provides insight into building types, sample sizes, DR modeling approaches, and management strategies. The paper reveals specific research gaps, particularly the need for more detailed investigations encompassing building types and leveraging larger datasets. It underscores the potential benefits of adopting a multifaceted approach by combining multiple DR management strategies to optimize demand-side management. The findings presented in this paper can provide information to and guide future studies, policymaking, and decision-making processes to assess the practical potential of demand response in buildings and ultimately contribute to more resilient and sustainable energy systems.